


The New Witch in Town

by WinterBeserker



Category: overwatch
Genre: Characters to be added, Everything's magical and it's great, Fantasy AU, Hanzo's a nerd, M/M, Other Additional Tags to Be Added, Witch AU, Witch Genji, Witch Hanzo, Witch Zenyatta, Witches
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2018-12-04
Updated: 2019-08-10
Packaged: 2019-09-06 23:13:00
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 3
Words: 14,827
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/16842382
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/WinterBeserker/pseuds/WinterBeserker
Summary: An idyllic community. A nice bakery is down the street, a tailor shop just across from there, and a witch that just moved into the nearby woods to set up shop.After moving into an old house that was abandoned a few decades ago, Hanzo's now getting ready to open up a new potions shop and start his new life.Little does he know, an old friend and his brother are going to have a lot of fun playing matchmaker with him and the owner of the local bakery.





	1. Moving Day

Hanzo stepped into the little house in the forest that he had just purchased. He looked around, feeling tired, but excited at the same time.   
There was still so much left to be done. So many things that needed to be cleaned and/or replaced and Hanzo found that he didn’t really want to do any of it. But of course, it had to be done, and it was better to start now rather than later.  
With a tired sigh and a shake of the head, Hanzo set down his bags by the door and picked up a broom resting against the wall. He began to sweep, slowly clearing away several years worth of dust.

When he had found out about this little place and found that it was at a cheap price, he jumped at the chance as quickly as possible. Sure, it was a fixer upper and was going to need a lot of TLC, but admittedly, he was very excited.   
The house was a small, cosy house tucked away in the thick, lush forests next to a nearby town. Connected to it was a little shop. It was… it was perfect. The perfect place for that fresh start Hanzo needed.  
Now, of course, it must be stressed that there were still so many things that Hanzo had to tackle before he could even think about opening his potions shop. But, that was all going to happen in due time (if the gods saw fit anyway). For now, he needed to try and make this old house somewhat habitable again.

Hanzo opened the old windows, wincing at the loud creaks that echoed into the room (those were going to need some elbow grease if he wanted to avoid the deafening creaks in the future). He let out a soft sigh as the fresh air from outside flooded into the house, chasing away the ancient, stale air that taste more of dust than anything really.  
Hanzo swept away huge piles of dust and dirt from the floor, banishing them to the outdoors from the doorstep. Once he was sure that he got all the dust and dirt he could, he set the broom aside, resting it against the wall where he’d found it, before grabbing a bucket and scrub brush to properly scrub the floor.  
He filled the bucket with warm, soapy water from the (thankfully) still working tap. He set the bucket off to the side and got down on his hands and knees with a grunt. Rolling up his sleeves, Hanzo dunked the scrub brush into the soapy water and began scrubbing the floor, starting in a small corner opposite to the kitchen, slowly working his way out as he scrubbed each and every stone tile.  
How much time he spent doing this one task, Hanzo was entirely sure (after all, he still had yet to set up anyway to tell time in this damn house). But in the end, the floor was cleaner than it had been for ages and Hanzo couldn’t help but feel quite proud of himself. He got to his feet with a huff, taking the bucket of now murky water to toss outside. Heaving a heavy sigh, he turned to face the kitchen. Now he had to scrub that clean.  
Hanzo was quite thankful that, despite the house’s old age, he wasn’t going to have to deal with an ancient range or anything like that (even though the equipment was still on the older side of things). Of course, that didn’t mean he wasn’t frustrated by the sheer amount of grime and dust that had accumulated over the course of several years of abandonment.  
The stove was absolutely filthy, causing Hanzo to shudder at the thought of what he might discover amongst the filth as he cleaned. He already had to clear away a couple of (thankfully) vacant spiders webs from the corners of the main room.  
With another sigh, he filled the bucket with soapy water once more and got back down on his knees to begin scrubbing away at the old dirt and grease that seemed to have fossilized on the stove and inside the oven. He muttered curses under his breath as he scrubbed furiously, willing the grime to loosen up so that he could finish this task sooner rather than later goddamnit!

Hanzo was there for what felt like hours, scrubbing several patches of stubborn dirt and grime with the ferocity of a dragon. By the end, however, the stove was finally to a point where Hanzo felt safe actually cooking something on it. Of course, it wasn’t perfect, there were still things to be done, but if Hanzo didn’t take a break soon, he swore he was going to cry.  
He sat back on his haunches and smiled to himself, wiping his forehead as he patted himself on the back for a job well done. Of course, there was still the rest of the kitchen to tangle with, but he was going to allow himself this one, small victory before he worried about all that.  
After resting a few minutes, stretching out his muscles and giving himself a hearty shake, he got up to tackle the next task ahead when he heard a knock on his new front door (which needed a new coat of paint badly).  
Hanzo walked over to the door, trying desperately to wipe the dirt and grime from his hands and face before opening it to reveal his brother and his partner, each of them carrying a couple of parcels in their arms.  
“Nice place you got here, brother,” Genji said, grinning widely. “Zen and I thought we’d come over and help you move in.”  
Hanzo found himself silently relieved at the prospect of help and welcomed them inside, silently thanking whichever god was responsible that they had shown up (he really needed to get his altar set up so that he could give them proper offerings of thanks).  
“Wow, how long has it been since anyone’s lived in this place?” Genji asked, setting down this share of parcels on a dusty counter, looking around the main room with a frown.  
“The realtor said that it has been at least a few decades since someone has last lived here,” Hanzo said, gently scratching the back of his neck with a sigh. “Everything is just covered in dust. I finished sweeping and scrubbing the floors and I just finished cleaning the stove.”   
Genji whistled, glancing over to his partner before cracking his knuckles and rolling up his sleeves. He looked over to his older brother with a determined look in his eyes.  
“Alright, what is it that you need me to do?” He asked, a wide grin on his face.

Genji was tasked with taking down all the old drapery throughout the small house, as well as tearing down the creaky, rotting shutters that hung precariously on the walls. There were a few times where Genji accidentally tore off some of the plaster, leading to Hanzo realizing that he was likely going to have to re-plaster the entire house.  
“Well,” Hanzo said, staring at the hole Genji had accidentally just made. “I suppose it’s better that we find out now rather than later.”  
“So… do you want me to finish tossing these?” Genji asked, looking sheepish.  
“Might as well. These things are useless anyways. We’re doing them a favour.”  
Genji gathered up the old, dusting curtains as well as the rods, totting them away to be tossed out with the rest of the trash.  
Hanzo began chipping away at the plaster, trying to see just how bad it all was. Considering the large chunks that fell at his feet, it was… it was bad. He heaved a heavy sigh and shook his head. Great, another thing to add to his laundry list of chores.  
Genji self-appointed himself the official plaster chipper, no doubt feeling a bit guilty for causing the damage in the first place (though let’s face it, it was better they found out sooner rather than later). While Genji was carefully chipping away at the ancient plaster, Hanzo and Zenyatta tasked themselves with scrubbing out the kitchen, furiously cleaning it from top to bottom. They thoroughly scrubbed out all the cupboards and shelves, mumbling curses all the while.  
Hanzo began scrubbing furiously at the old fridge, mumbling curses under his breath, while Zenyatta scrubbed the sink and counters, ridding them of several years’ worth of dust, dirt and grime (as well as some animal droppings, but they tried to ignore that and used a bit more bleach than normal).  
With a couple of extra sets of hands, Hanzo was rather relieved to find that the work seemed to go along a bit faster. Sure, it was still slow going and tedious, but every little bit helped. After just a couple of hours (and a lot of soapy water, cleaning products and cursing), the kitchen was at a point where Hanzo actually felt safe cooking in it. Granted the shelves were empty, along with the pantry and the fridge, but that was beside the point. It was the little victories goddamnit!  
After giving everything one last wipe down (just in case), Hanzo and Zenyatta went to check on Genji to see if they could help. The found him covered in dust and tiny chunks of broken plaster, holding the scrapper tiredly.  
“Who came up with plaster again?” He muttered, gently kicking the pile of plaster at his feet. “I wanna kill ‘em.”  
“I’m afraid you’d have to go far back in time in order to accomplish that, Genji,” Zenyatta said, handing Hanzo a broom to sweep up the mess. “Plaster has been used in housing for several centuries.”  
Genji ended up sitting to the side while Hanzo and Zenyatta began sweeping up the chunks of plaster. He didn’t want to create more mess for them to clean up right then, and he needed to get off his feet. They were aching from standing and jumping to reach the higher parts of the walls.  
“Isn’t there a way to reuse plaster?” Genji asked, leaning against the wall. “Wasn’t that a thing for a while?”  
“I believe it was the Victorians,” Hanzo said, carefully sweeping the plaster onto Zenyatta’s dustpan. “They strongly believed in not wasting anything if they could avoid it, and so they would crush the plaster, add water… horse hair and… I think there was something else, though I don’t remember what it was.”  
“We could reuse the plaster,” Genji suggested, leaning onto his knees. “It would definitely save some money, and we wouldn’t be creating more waste.”  
Hanzo hummed, nodding to himself.  
“We will have to find somewhere to store the old plaster then for the time being,” Hanzo said, glancing around the room. “Perhaps one of the garbage bins? An empty one of course.”  
Genji got to his feet, saluting his brother before going off to fetch an empty garbage bin to dump the old chunks of plaster in for the time being. Hanzo glanced over to Zenyatta and sighed.  
“Well, I’m going to have to look up what is needed to reuse plaster then. Another chore to add to my list,” He grumbled, rubbing his forehead.  
“You’re not planning on sleeping here tonight, are you?” Zenyatta asked, watching Hanzo worriedly. “Genji and I are staying in an inn in the town. Perhaps it would be best for you to join us? That way you’re in a building that’s not a construction zone.”  
Hanzo chuckled softly and nodded.  
“I was already planning to do that actually, though I appreciate the offer. I was planning to go over there when the sun began to set.”  
“Well, we have a couple of hours left until that point, so let’s try and finish cleaning this up, shall we?”

By the time the sun had begun to sink below the horizon, the plaster that Genji had taken down was stowed away in a garbage bin, waiting to be reused. The three of them decided that now it was time to rest and eat and that they would continue working on the building the next day.  
Hanzo slept in the same inn as Zenyatta and Genji (though in different rooms), and the next day, the three of them set off to continue working on the house. Genji did part from them, only to return with a bag of McDonald's and a tray of coffees. Normally, Hanzo would complain (he was never a big fan of fast food personally), but he was just grateful for the caffeine in his system.

Before he went to bed, Hanzo had taken the time to research how plaster could be reused. It had taken some time, but he finally remembered which ingredient he was missing. Sand. Crushed plaster, water, sand and horse hair.  
Now three of those ingredients wouldn’t be too hard to get their hands on. For fucks sake, they already had the plaster! They just needed to crush it. But the horse hair? That was another thing entirely. It wasn’t like he could go up to random people and be like,  
‘Oh hello, I’m your new neighbour. I don’t suppose you have any horse hair lying around I could use so that I can reuse my old plaster, would you?’  
That… that wasn’t an option. Luckily for Hanzo, Genji had taken the time to do some research of his own, and found someone who was willing to sell them a sack of old horsehair they had after cleaning and grooming their horses (Hanzo wasn’t going to question why they held onto it. He wasn’t), so that was solved. Now came the fun bit.  
“Someone’s got to crush this old plaster into dust.”  
The three of them knew that this was going to be a laborious, exhausting task. It was going to result in aching muscles. And so, none of them really wanted to actually do it. Genji immediately volunteered to continue stripping the walls of the old plaster (since he was the official plaster chipper). That left Hanzo and Zenyatta. In the end, Hanzo agreed to do the mind-numbing work while Zenyatta worked on the rest of the house.

After Hanzo had found a thick stick he could use as a makeshift giant pestle, and a large wooden tub that was in decent condition, he began working on crushing the old plaster into dust.  
Every once in a while, Zenyatta would stop by and dump a few pieces of broken plaster into the wooden tub, apologizing every time he did so, making the work seem never-ending. Hanzo found that he didn’t really mind, however. The action was familiar, though mind-numbing boring after a while and he did keep having to switch wrists every few minutes, but he was pleased they were making progress.  
“So… how’s the crushing going?” Genji asked after an hour into the process. “Having fun?”  
“You’re going to be doing this next,” Hanzo grunted, carefully tipping the contents of the tub onto a sieve that sat atop a large metal tub. “I don’t think I can feel my arms anymore. How much is still left?”  
Genji grimaced, watching as his brother carefully separated the chunks from the plaster dust.  
“Uh… well, I’ve got two rooms stripped now. The bedroom and the guest room. I’m now working on the living area and kitchen. The bathroom is still waiting to be done, as well as the attic and closets.”  
Hanzo groaned, dumping the larger chunks still trapped in the sieve into the wooden tub to be crushed.  
“A part of me is wondering if it would be worth it to just buy some plaster.”  
“The cost will add up quickly. This is cheaper in the long run,” Genji reminded Hanzo, glancing into the metal tub. “If it helps, I think you’re doing a fantastic job, bro.”  
Hanzo flipped Genji off before sighing heavily and picking up his makeshift pestle again.  
“I’m trading off with you in another hour, no buts.”

By the end of the second day (the sweet, merciful end), all the old plaster was removed, set aside to be crushed and made into new plaster. Of course, now they were all going to have to work on making the new plaster if they wanted to be done in a timely manner. That and Hanzo threatened to kill someone if he had to do another days’ worth of crushing all on his own.  
When they came in the next day, the three of them began working through the piles of old plaster, crushing it into smaller chunks and dust. As it was before, the task was slow and laborious, making arms ache and wrists moan. However, it did seem to go a bit faster now that there were more hands on deck.  
“I found some old furniture in the attic,” Genji said, currently sieving the dust. “I’m not sure if it’s actually usable, but we can check to see after we start plastering the walls.”  
“That sounds good to me,” Hanzo grunted. His arms were killing him. He’d been at this for close to three hours. “Though with how long this house has been abandoned, it would not surprise me if they were in a terrible condition.”  
Zenyatta heaved a heavy sigh, wiping his forehead of sweat.  
“Genji, when did you say the horsehair was coming?” He asked, taking a quick breath to shake out his arms before getting back to work.  
“Well, they said it would be here in two days. It’s been one so far, so I’d say some time tomorrow?  
The three of them groaned and continued working away.

By the end of the day, they’d managed to go through all the plaster, reducing it to nothing more than tiny chunks and dust. Massive sacks of sand were sitting in the corner of the main area, waiting for them and the horsehair due sometime the next day. Zenyatta had even managed to find a couple of folks in town who were willing to help with the re-plastering (much to Hanzo’s relief), and now they were sitting on the floor, covered in dust and sweat, tiredly eating the sandwiches they’d brought with them.  
“Well, once this is done, that’s one less thing to worry about,” Genji muttered, yawning widely. “So we’ve got that going for us at least.”  
“That is true. I won’t have to worry about the plaster falling off the walls or anything,” Hanzo sighed, glancing over to his baby brother. “By the way, I’ve been meaning to ask you if you noticed anything else in the attic while you were up there. I haven’t had a chance to check for myself.”  
“Well, I did notice a few dead animals. A couple of birds on the wind sill, a few mice, nothing too unusual,” Genji said, taking a bite of his sandwich. “I also noticed that there were some parts of the floor that felt… flimsier than others, kinda like they were sinking. We’re gonna want a professional to take a look at that. We might need to get some floorboards and struts replaced.”  
Hanzo sighed before nodding. Of course.  
“I expected as much,” He said, taking a bite of his own sandwich. “I was hoping to escape needing any repairs to the structural integrity to the house, but it doesn’t surprise me.”  
“Well, it’s better we find out now, rather than later when you’re fully moved in and the roof caves in on you.”  
Hanzo chuckled darkly, nodding.  
“That is true. It’s a far better alternative.”


	2. Reconstruction is fun

After two days, they were finally able to begin re-plastering the walls. The help that Zenyatta had enlisted had also arrived, and among them was a familiar face for Hanzo. Satya.

“Hanzo!” She said, looking quite surprised. “My, it has been a while, hasn’t it?”

Hanzo nodded, happy to see his friend after so many years.

“I suppose it has been,” He said, giving her a chaste hug. “I didn’t know you lived in town, otherwise I would’ve stopped by to say hello earlier.”

She chuckled, braiding her hair to keep it out of the way while working.

“Well, we’re here now, so never mind all that. Now, I assume that the plaster has yet to actually be _made_?”

Everyone glanced over to the corner of the main area where the metal tubs of plaster dust, the bags of sand and the bags of horse hair sat.

“What was your first clue?”

Again, the task was laborious, but with the help of Satya and a carpenter that happened to _also_ live in the woods, it was going along smoothly. By noon, a little less than half the rooms were re-plastered and now drying slowly in the noon-day sun. Everyone sat on the floor of the main room eating their lunches. Satya and Hanzo chatted in hushed tones, catching up on everything they’d missed in the years since they’d last talked.

After they finished eating and had a moment to rest, the group of five got to their feet and resumed their work. Satya, Zenyatta and Genji worked on the main room, while Hanzo was in the attic with the carpenter, who was named Zarya.

“It’s nice to see that this old house has finally been purchased,” Zarya said, getting some more plaster. “It was sad seeing it abandoned and in such disrepair.”

“It’s frustrating that I have to do so many repairs and so much cleaning, but I suppose it _could_ be far worse,” Hanzo said, carefully spreading the plaster over the stonework, making sure it was actually nice and neat.

“Your brother had told me that some of the floorboards up here seem weak,” Zarya said, glancing over to Hanzo. “I’d be happy to take a look for you if you’d like? From what he described, it shouldn’t be too hard for me to fix.”

Hanzo smiled, feeling quite grateful for the offer.

“If you could, I would be most thankful. I would rather the roof _didn’t_ cave in while I’m sleeping.”

Zarya chuckled, walking over to get some more plaster.

“Well, that’s why I offered. Now, let’s get this done, shall we?”

The sun was now sinking below the horizon by the time they’d finished, casting a soft orange glow over everything it could reach as they sat on the floor, exhausted. Genji laid on the floor, groaning occasionally.

“Hanzo, never buy a fixer-upper again,” He moaned. “This is the _worst_.”

“No one said you _had_ to help,” Hanzo mumbled, drinking deeply from his water bottle.

“Of course I had to! What kind of brother would I be if I didn’t help my big brother fix up his new house?”

“A less annoying one.”

After cleaning up after themselves, gather up the materials they’d used to apply the plaster and putting them away, Zarya bade them farewell, informing Hanzo that she would properly check the structural integrity of the attic floor in a couple of days. Hanzo, Zenyatta, Genji and Satya made their way into town, each of them eager to collapse into bed.

“I do not have any projects to work on at the moment,” Satya said to Hanzo, glancing over in his direction. “If you would like, I don’t mind helping you fix up the house. I could help you with the shop as well.”

A part of Hanzo wanted to refuse. He felt a little rotten for accepting help from someone, especially for tasks such as this. But he had an inkling of a feeling that Satya wasn’t going to take no for an answer on this.

“I would appreciate that, if you’re will that is. We were planning on seeing if the furniture in the attic is actually usable. Perhaps you could help us with that?”

Satya nodded, tucking a loose strand of hair behind her ear.

“Have you had a chance to look at the actual shop? It would be good to see what is needed while we’re at it.”

Hanzo grimaced, he had been so busy just making sure that the house was actually inhabitable that he hadn’t even thought to take a proper look around the shop. It was likely a disaster area, much like the house it was connected to.

“I… no. I haven’t had much time to actually go over there to see what needs to be done. Would you mind helping me with that? No doubt you would have some ideas.”

Hanzo could practically see the gears turning in Satya’s mind as she hummed, nodding.

“I would love to help you. I could also bring breakfast for everyone tomorrow morning. I know a bakery in town that has an excellent selection.”

Genji immediately leapt at the chance to have baked goods for breakfast rather than _another_ breakfast sandwich from McDonald's.

“Oh, what kinda stuff do they have?” He asked, walking with an excited bounce in his step. “Do they have chocolate croissants?”

Satya smiled and nodded, which made Hanzo’s sweet tooth cheer with excitement.

“I can get some breakfast pastries and coffee to go and I’ll meet up with you at the house. Does that sound good?”

After the four of them agreed, they went their separate ways. Satya went to her home to sleep in her bed, and Hanzo, Zenyatta and Genji went to their rooms in the inn to collapse.

The next morning, Genji had already brought down some of the furniture from the attic, with help from Zenyatta. Hanzo was currently inspecting one of the chairs, checking to see if it was actually usable or if he would have to use it as firewood or something when he heard a knock at the door.

Getting to his feet, Hanzo walked over and opened it, revealing Satya with a tray of coffees and a box of various breakfast pastries.

“Well good morning,” She said, a faint smile on her face. “I see you have already started without me.”

Hanzo welcomed her in, taking the tray of drinks from her.

“Let me just call Genji and Zenyatta down to eat. They’re bringing the furniture down from the attic so that we can check it over and see what needs to be trashed and what can be saved.”

“And how is it looking?” Satya asked, grabbing one of the coffees from the tray. “How much do you think we’ll be able to actually salvage?”

Hanzo, grabbing his own coffee, grimaced.

“From what little I’ve seen, we’re going to be throwing out at _least_ half of the furniture, if not more. I was just checking one of the chairs when you knocked. One of the legs is almost completely rotted. It just can’t be used.”

Just then, Zenyatta appeared, carrying one end of an old bed frame into the living area when he noticed Satya.

“Ah, good morning Satya,” He said, carefully steering the bed frame into a corner. “I trust you had a good night’s rest?” 

Satya nodded, smiling happily before handing Zenyatta his own coffee.

“Before we continue, let’s eat,” She said, handing Genji his coffee. “We have another long day ahead of us.”

As they checked over the furniture, Hanzo found that his original estimation wasn’t too far off actually. Already, they had to set aside three chairs to be tossed, as well as a small bedside table that was just _barely_ holding it together.

Genji excitedly offered to break up the furniture and toss it into the surrounding trees to continue rotting away. An offer that Hanzo gladly accepted. And so, while Hanzo, Zenyatta and Satya worked on sanding down a table that really just needed a bit of tender love and care, Genji was breaking up the bedframe that was more rot than anything even _remotely_ bedlike, getting it ready to toss into the bushes.

Through the open windows, they could hear Genji occasionally shouting things such as,

“Begone thot!” As well as other memes.

The three of them left Genji to it as they cleaned up the salvageable furniture (of which there was little). Hanzo was just sanding one of the legs when Genji walked in with a large grin.

“Man, the local insects are gonna have a fucking field day with all this old shit,” He said, lugging out a large chunk of rotting wood that was once a dresser (supposedly). “It’ll do much better as homes for the insects anyways. Better to let it rot in the woodlands if you ask me.”

By the time Genji had finished his task of chucking the pile of broken, rotting wood into the trees (while occasionally yelling ‘yeet’), the three others were applying a fresh coat of varnish on the table.

“Well, that was the last of it,” Genji said, trying in vain to brush off some of the grime that clung to his clothes. “Is there anything else you need me to do, or can I just sit off to the side for now?”

“Sit and rest,” Hanzo said, applying more varnish to one of the legs. “We have this. After we finish with the table, Satya and I are going to take a proper look at the shop to see what kind of condition it’s in. Hopefully, it’s nothing _too_ bad.”

You know, for all the words Hanzo wound up eating, you’d think they’d at least taste nice.

He and Satya finally entered the shop for the first time in what must have been _years_ , wincing as the door opened with a loud, deafening creak. There was a _thick_ layer of dust covering every conceivable surface and cobwebs in more places than Hanzo would care to admit. Scattered along the old shelving and window sills were corpses of animals long rotted away and old, crumbling birds’ nests. It was… a disaster area.

“A part of me wished we’d postponed this,” Hanzo muttered, looking around in minor horror. “This is… oh… Jesus Christ.”

Satya tutted, shaking her head as she looked at the amount of dirt and grime that decorated the place.

“Well, it _is_ safe to say that this is going to need a lot of work. But… we might as well get started on it now, rather than later, don’t you think?”

Hanzo let out a heavy sigh and nodded, leaving to grab a couple of brooms, buckets and some handkerchiefs.

After securing handkerchiefs on their faces, they began working on disposing of the carcasses. They picked up each of the carcasses with the extra handkerchiefs, depositing them into their buckets. Hanzo muttered under his breath, eager to _not_ have the spirits of long-dead rats, mice and birds haunting his shop. Once the task was complete, they then looked around the rest of the shop, glancing down at the footprints they left behind on the floor.

“Well, I suppose there’s no time like the present,” Satya said, grabbing a broom to begin sweeping.

Hanzo followed after her and they began sweeping, staring at the back of the store and working their way to the front door. _Huge_ clouds of dust and dirt billowed out the front door as they swept, only to be blown away by the gentle breeze. At one point, while they were making headway with the mountains of dust that seemed to mock their very being, Genji entered the shop, hacking and coughing.

“Oh gods, I didn’t think it would be _this_ dusty!” Genji wheezed, holding his shirt over his mouth and nose. “I was just going to tell you that I’m going out to get some furniture so that you’re not sleeping on the floor,” He said, coughing.

Hanzo looked up to his brother and nodded.

“Thank you, that’s one less thing to worry about now.”

Genji glared at Hanzo, shielded from the copious amounts of dust and dirt in the air by his handkerchief.

“You could’ve given us a warning,” Genji muttered as he retreated, leaving Hanzo and Satya to sweep away in their dusty kingdom.

Eventually, the floor was thoroughly swept, now the cleanest it’s been in several years. Of course, there were still the shelves that needed to be torn down (how they were _still_ clinging to the walls, Hanzo wasn’t entirely sure. Probably some form of dark magick). And though the dust and dirt were swept away, it would take a _lot_ of elbow grease to properly clean the windows and walls before Hanzo could even _think_ about decorating or replacing the old shelving.

But Hanzo and Satya both decided that it was time for a break, and so they went back into the house to sit down and breath air that _didn’t_ have copious amounts of dust floating around in it.

They walked into Zenyatta making and hanging new curtains for the house (stitching in symbols of protection and good health along the borders in a similar coloured thread) and Genji struggling to assemble some of the furniture on the floor.

“I swear to the gods, Hanzo, if you _ever_ buy another fixer-upper, I’m going to kill you,” Genji muttered, trying to find the next piece he needed to put the goddamn bedframe together.

Hanzo nodded tiredly, resting his back against the wall.

“I know, I know, but in my defence, the price was good. And besides,” He said, looking around the room. “It’s rather nice to be able to put my own mark on the house, make it my own, you know?”

Genji groaned from his spot on the floor, glaring at the disassembled bedframe with pure hatred in his eyes.

“I don’t think I _ever_ want to do this again,” He grumbled, tightening a screw with a huff.

“I think that is something we can _all_ agree on,” Zenyatta added, getting to his feet to feed the curtain through the curtain rod to hang.

After Genji had finally managed to finish assembling the bed frame, he (and everyone else) decided that perhaps it would be best if he went on to tackle another chore while Satya finished assembling the rest of the furniture. It was for his and everyone else’s (and the furniture’s) safety really.

Which lead to Genji walking over to the shop with Hanzo, armed with a duster, broom, bucket and scrub brush and a handkerchief to wear over his mouth and nose.

“Alright, we need to tear down the old shelving. They’re too weak to hold anything, so there’s no point in trying to salvage any of it,” Hanzo said, setting his supplies down by the door. “And we’ll also need to knock down all the cobwebs.”

“There better not be any spiders still living in those things,” Genji muttered, getting ready to knock them down.

Of course, Genji _had_ to go and jinx them. Hanzo was halfway through his half of the shop when he felt something drop onto his head. Almost immediately, he tensed up, noticing the sensation of eight tiny legs skittering across his scalp, making their way downtown. After a moment of hesitation, he let out a loud scream as he batted at his head, trying desperately to get the spider off of his head. After a moment of blind panic, he managed to calm down, breathing heavily as he tried to forget the skin crawling sensation of the spider crawling around on his head.

Genji, who was momentarily startled by Hanzo’s loud scream and frenzied movements, rushed over, looking around to find whatever scared the absolute _shit_ out of his brother.

“What happened?” He cried, tripping over his own feet a little as he rushed over. “What’s wrong? You just started screaming!”

“One of the webs… it wasn’t empty,” Hanzo gasped, still trying to slow his breathing and calm his racing heart. “It landed on my head.”

Genji stared at Hanzo for a moment before snorting, a wide grin spreading across his face under the handkerchief.

“Really? _That’s_ what all the fuss was about? All that fuss over _one_ little spider? I mean, several of them, I’d understand, but _one_?”

Hanzo huffed, shoving his brother back to his side of the room.

“Let’s see how _you_ would fair if a spider suddenly dropped on your head like that,” Growled, scowling at Genji.

Genji picked up his duster with a shrug and got back to work knocking down the remaining cobwebs still clinging to the walls. It wasn’t much longer before he too got a spider falling on his head, no doubt very confused. Genji let out a shrill scream that could rival banshees and began batting at his hair frantically, trying desperately to dislodge the spider. Once he managed to calm down, he looked over to find Hanzo grinning at him, his face just _screaming_ ‘I told you so’ (which was impressive, considering he couldn’t see half of it).

“So… what was all _that_ about?” Hanzo asked, still obviously wearing the shit eating grin.

“Fuck… you,” Genji gasped, angrily attacking the webs with his duster. “Gods, I _hate_ those things.”

Once all of the cobwebs were knocked down (without any further incidents involving spiders falling on heads or down shirts thankfully), Hanzo and Genji began tearing down the old shelving. More than once, the old wooden shelving broke in two, three, sometimes _more_ pieces as they tried ripping them off the walls with crowbars, exposing just _how_ weak and brittle they’d become over the years of neglect.

After tossing the remains of the shelving outside the door into a pile to be dealt with later, they began to sweep the floor once more, quickly getting rid of any dust they’d disturbed and any splinters of wood that stayed behind. They disposed of the waste accordingly and walked back into the house, where Satya and Zenyatta were using the kitchen for the first time in decades to cook.

“Well hello,” Satya said, stirring a pot. “Did you have fun?”

Hanzo and Genji glared at her as Zenyatta chuckled, setting the table with paper plates and plastic cups and cutlery.

“Come and sit down. I think we’ve all earned a good meal and a break from our hard work,” He said, gesturing to the newly constructed wooden chairs.

The brothers sat down heavily, heaving a sigh once they got off their aching feet. Satya brought over the pot, divvying up the food. A curry that smelt _delicious_.

There the four of them sat, eating and drinking merrily, putting the work they had yet to do at the back of their minds for the time being.

“So, what are your plans for the shop?” Genji asked, accepting Hanzo’s offer of sake.

Hanzo paused for a moment, mulling the question over in his mind.

“Well,” He said, sipping from his cup. “To be honest, I’m not entirely sure. We’ll need to replace the shelving and do some maintenance on the front desk and all the cabinets. There’s… there’s still much to be done.”

Hanzo took a deep drink from his cup, feeling weary, but all the same, excited.

“I had noticed that the colour on the walls was looking rather faded,” Satya said, sipping her tea. “Perhaps a fresh coat of paint as well? Something vibrant and lively I think. It would help make the shop feel welcoming, don’t you think?”

Hanzo hummed thoughtfully, taking a bite of the curry as he did.

“Perhaps. Maybe a nice shade of muted blue?” Hanzo mused, staring at the table in thought. “What do you think, Genji?”

“I was thinking a nice shade of bright green myself,” Genji replied, smirking.

“I’m not painting my shop a bright green, Genji,” Hanzo scoffed, rolling his eyes with a faint smile. “I will not paint it with your hair colour.”

“Good, I was worried I’d have to seek medical intervention for you if you agreed to the idea,” Satya muttered into her drink. “We don’t need the walls looking like fresh vomit.”

“Hey!” Genji protested. “You asked, I’m just telling you what _I_ think. Bright green is a vibrant and lively colour! Just like Satya said!”

Zenyatta playfully shoved Genji a little, a soft smile on his face.

“They want a _nice_ colour, not one that’s bright and obnoxious like you, my love,” He teased, grinning.

Genji squeaked in offence and Hanzo couldn’t help but laugh.

“We’ll get to that later I think,” Hanzo said before yawning widely. “For now, my main concern is making sure that the shop doesn’t collapse around me. After that’s taken care of, _then_ we’ll worry about paint colours.”

“Have you thought of a name yet?” Genji asked, sipping from his cup of sake.

Hanzo shook his head, looking rather frustrated with himself.

“Try as I might, I haven’t been able to come up with anything suitable yet. It’s not a pressing matter as of yet, of course, but… it’s rather frustrating.”

Genji hummed thoughtfully, tapping his chin before his face lit up with inspiration.

“What about… ‘Blue Dragons’ Potions’? Sounds nice, right?” Genji suggested, grinning widely.

The name _did_ have a nice ring to it. Perhaps… perhaps.

“That… _could_ work actually. I mean, I _will_ sleep on it, but… I think I rather like the sound of it.”

Genji grinned excitedly, looking quite pleased with himself.

“Well, when you’ve decided for certain, then we’re gonna have to commission a sign for it.”

Hanzo let out a loud groan, letting his head drop into his hands. Great. _Another_ item to add to the never-ending list of chores. _Great._

While Hanzo and the others focused on cleaning the shop, Zarya came in and did the necessary repairs to the floor of the attic of the main house.

The house was loud, filled with a symphony of sawing, hammering and the occasional curse when she accidentally got her thumb with the hammer. The shop too was filled with a symphony of its own. A symphony of curses, grunting and odd shout of surprise when a live mouse or any other wildlife scurried over feet.

By the middle of the afternoon, Zarya had finished her task, wiping her forehead with a satisfied sigh. Just as she did this, Hanzo came in, covered in bits of rotting wood from the rest of the faulty shelving he tore out.

“Ah, Zarya,” He said, running a hand through his hair. “How are the repairs coming along?”

“I just finished actually. That attic is not going to collapse for a _very_ long time, I can assure you,” She said, crossing her arms confidently.

Hanzo let out a sigh of relief.

“Thank you,” He said, feeling a weight lift off his shoulders. “That’s one less thing for me to worry about now.”

“Is there any other work you need help with?” Zarya asked, watching Hanzo for a moment. “I don’t mind helping. It’s been kinda slow this year, so it would be nice to do some work.”

Hanzo hesitated for a moment, wondering if he _should_ ask. He _did_ need new shelving, but he didn’t want to take advantage of Zarya’s kindness.

“The shelving… of the shop is more rot than anything. I’ll be needing replacements. Would you… would you be so kind as to help?” Hanzo asked, feeling a bit nervous about her answer.

Zarya grinned, nodding her head.

“Of course! If you’d like, I can go take measurements as soon as you’re finished in there. I can start working on them as soon as tomorrow!”

Hanzo grinned, feeling another small weight fall from his shoulders.

“That… that would be wonderful, thank you.”

Soon, Zarya was in the shop, taking the necessary measurements she needed while Satya was in the shop, sweeping the floor once more. She swept away the dust they managed to disturb and the dirt they’d tracked in. Genji was helping Zarya take the measurements, often holding the measuring tape at one end, and chatting all the while she jotted down the information needed. Hanzo meanwhile, took the time to brew himself some tea while Zenyatta sat at the kitchen table, pencil in hand as he sketched on some paper.

“What are you doing, Zenyatta?” Hanzo asked, walking over to the table with a hot mug in his hands.

Zenyatta looked up at Hanzo like a deer in headlights, obviously not expecting Hanzo to speak so suddenly.

“Oh, well I was just sketching out some ideas for the shop sign. Would you like to take a look, see which one you like?”

Hanzo set the mug down and looked over Zenyatta’s shoulder at the designs.

Each of the sketched out designs featured dragons. Some of them were weaving between the letters, one had the dragons _as_ letters. One design had the dragons poking their head out of a bottle, while a couple of other designs had them wearing traditional witches hats. Hanzo found himself smiling softly as he looked over them.

“They all look wonderful, Zenyatta,” He said, his fingers lightly tracing over one of the drawings. “I’m not sure which one I like the most, to be honest.”

“Well, when you decide, I can paint it for you.”

Hanzo felt a touch of guilt. Zenyatta was already being so helpful in getting the shop and the house in top shape. He didn’t want to take further advantage of the monk’s kindness.

“You don’t have to paint my sign for me, Zenyatta,” Hanzo said. “You’ve already done so much to help me.”

“I don’t mind at all. I greatly enjoy painting and it would be one less thing for you to worry about in the future,” Zenyatta countered, smiling softly. “So, which designs do you like the most?”

Hanzo glanced back down at the designs for a moment before pointing to a design that depicted two dragons sitting in a mortar and pestle, and to another design, where they were wearing traditional witches hats.

“I do find myself partial to elements in both these drawings,” Hanzo said, smiling faintly. “Perhaps if they were combined, that could be the shop sign. I… I greatly appreciate the offer, Zenyatta,” Hanzo whispered, tucking a loose lock of hair behind his ear. “Just let me know when you need the base of the sign commissioned and I’ll get on that for you.”

Zenyatta nodded, looking rather excited for the job ahead of him. He took out another sheet of paper and began loosely sketching out what the sign might look like.

He wasn’t entirely sure just _how_ long he was on his knees, but Hanzo was positive that he wasn’t going to be able to get back up without some help.

He had spent several hours on his hands and knees, scrubbing the floor of his shop until he could faintly see his face in it. He only stopped once he was _positive_ that there was no more lingering dust hiding away in the cracks, waiting to be disturbed (if he had to sweep up _one_ more pile of dust because someone walked around the shop, he was going to scream). Of course, there was still so much left to be done, but Hanzo was going to take a moment and celebrate his little victory.

While Hanzo was busy scrubbing away, Zenyatta worked on various sketches for the shop sign, using Hanzo’s familiars as models for the dragons on the sign (not that he really minded). Genji was out getting supplies to make the house feel more… homely. And Satya? She had received a new commission and had to leave the boys to their work.

All in all, everyone was _quite_ busy, and Hanzo was more than glad when he was able to drop the scrub brush into the bucket of murky water. He let out a sigh of relief and slowly got to his feet, wincing at the loud cracks emitting from his body.

Once he was able to straighten himself out, he heard a faint knocking at the door of the shop. He turned to see Zarya at the door, smiling softly.

“Hello Hanzo,” She said, stepping into the shop after she removed her boots. “You’ve been busy I see.”

Hanzo smiled faintly and nodded, heaving a heavy sigh.

“That’s one way of putting it, yes,” He said, letting his hair out of his ponytail to shake it out. “To what do I owe the pleasure of you stopping by?”

“I’ve come to ask a few questions actually,” Zarya said, scratching the back of her neck. “I would’ve asked them yesterday, but I found that there wasn’t much time and I knew you would be rather tired at the end of the day.”

Hanzo gestured her to go ahead, picking up the bucket to chuck the old water out one of the open windows.

“Is there a certain type of wood you had in mind for the shelves?” She asked, folding her arms across her chest as she leaned against the door frame. “Or do you not have a preference?”

Hanzo paused for a moment, setting the now empty bucket down on the ground.

“Well, would you happen to have access to European Beechwood? I think that would be best for the shop.”

Zarya paused for a moment before nodding.

“I can get my hands on that, don’t you worry about that. May I ask why that wood? It’s not the strongest wood out there.”

“European Beech has been used in witchcraft for a very long time,” Hanzo said, sitting on the edge of a windowsill. “The wood is said to promote wisdom, knowledge, and protection, among other things.” 

Zarya smiled and nodded, pulling out a small notebook to jot down a quick note.

“Alright, I’ll make sure I have that then,” She said, glancing up from the little notebook in her hands. “Is there a particular _style_ of the shelf you would prefer? Or does that not really concern you?”

Hanzo pondered the question for a moment, thinking to himself quietly.

“I… don’t think that’s really a concern. _You’re_ the professional, this is your area of expertise. I would just like something sturdy.”

Zarya nodded, jotting that down in her notebook.

“Alright, I can give you a rough composite sketch if you’d like? So you have an idea of what you’d be getting?”

Hanzo nodded, smiling faintly.

“I would appreciate that if you don’t mind,” He said, rubbing his eyes tiredly.

The room was silent, save for the scratching of a pencil against paper. While Zarya quickly did a rough sketch of the shelves, Hanzo kept himself busy by putting away the empty bucket and scrub brush. Once he returned, Zarya was watching him for a moment.

“Would you like to see?” She asked, holding the notebook out for him to take.

Hanzo took it in his hands, looking over the rough drawing.

The overall design was fairly simple. It was a shelf no longer than one foot (according to the numbers jotted down), sticking out six or so inches. The supports were very simple, nothing truly ornate or fancy, which was just fine for him.

“This looks fine,” He replied, handing the notebook back to Zarya. “It’s just what I need.”

Zarya smiled and nodded, tucking the notebook into the front pocket of her shirt.

“I’m happy to hear that. I’ll begin work on those right away. I’ll let you know when they’re finished.”

Hanzo nodded and smiled, feeling relieved. This was something he didn’t have to worry about now.”

Hanzo sank into the chair with a heavy sigh, closing his eyes for a moment before resting his arms on the kitchen table.

“I’m really beginning to regret my decisions,” He muttered, rubbing his temples. “Why did I do this again?”

Genji set a mug of tea before Hanzo with a smile.

“Let’s see here because you wanted to open a shop, this place was fairly cheap, and you wanted to make your own mark on your new house. That’s why.”

Hanzo graciously accepted the tea before flipping Genji off with a huff.

“It was rhetorical,” He muttered, sipping his tea before reeling back. It was still _very_ hot.

Genji sat down in the chair opposite to Hanzo with his own mug of tea, making a big show of blowing on it before taking a small sip.

“So, we got the order for the shelves down,” Genji muttered, sipping from his mug, still making a big show of blowing on it. “The shop has been cleaned as thoroughly as we can possibly clean it. What else needs to be done?”

Hanzo sighed tiredly.

“Too much. Too much needs to be done,” He groaned, blowing on his tea before taking a cautious sip (it wasn’t _as_ hot this time). “The plaster is in far better shape than the house plaster was, so we don’t have to worry about re-plastering. I _do_ need to repaint the walls however, and I need to get the drawers and cabinets in working order again if I want to actually _use_ them in the shop.”

Genji nodded, taking a drink as he thought to himself.

“Well… we can start painting tomorrow if you already have a colour picked out? We’re supposed to have about of dry weather over the next few days as well, so we could just leave the cabinets and drawers out there, for now, maybe give them a power wash to get rid of anything we missed while doing the deep clean. While we wait for each layer of paint to dry, we can work on getting them back into good shape. What do you think?” Genji said, glancing up towards his brother.

Hanzo hummed to himself, taking a long, slow sip of his tea before nodding.

“That sounds good to me,” He said, his fingers tapping against the side of the mug. “I’ve been thinking of some soft greens and browns. What do you think?”

Genji pondered for a moment, looking over to the general direction of the shop, likely picturing what the walls would look like.

“Green for luck and success, brown for protection of animals and familiars?” Genji murmured, scratching his chin. “That _would_ be a good mix, and would definitely go with the surrounding area.”

“And it’s not too flashy, it doesn’t hurt the eyes.”

“Are you sure you don’t want to go _bright_ green?” Genji teased, grinning.

“No, I’d rather not be reminded of a toad every time I look at my shop.”

“What, are you saying my hair reminds you of a toad?” Genji asked, sounding offended.

Hanzo didn’t respond, just slowly sipping his tea with a playful look in his eyes.

“Hanzo, answer the goddamn question.”

Hanzo remained silent, simply grinning as his brother glared.

The first thing Hanzo realized was that the drawers and cabinets were _really_ fucking heavy. He knew they were heavy, but he didn’t think they would be _that_ heavy. Jesus.

The second thing Hanzo realized was that paint was _also_ heavy.

By the time they were able to move the cabinets and drawers outside, get the paint inside and cover the floor with tarps to protect it, Hanzo’s arms were _killing_ him. And they hadn’t even started painting!

“Okay, we got everything we need in, _in_ , and everything we need out, _out_ ,” Genji said, shaking out his arms and hands with a sigh. “Now we just need to start _actually_ painting.”

Maybe we should plan what colour’s going where first,” Hanzo said, rubbing his shoulders. “And I’m not just saying that to postpone the inevitable.”

Genji looked around the room before nodding and grabbing a pen and paper. He and Hanzo took a seat on the window sill, leaning against the walls.

“Okay, so we _could_ do alternating colours, you know like brown on this wall, green on the next, brown on the next and so on. What do you think?” Genji said, writing it out on the paper.

Hanzo stared at the page before shaking his head.

“No, too obvious, and I don’t think it would actually look very nice, would it?”

Genji nodded, crossing it out.

“You’re right, it wouldn’t. Maybe stripes of each colour?”

Hanzo stared at Genji for a long minute, his eyes boring into his baby brother’s very soul.

“Is that a no?”

“What do you think?”

Genji quickly crossed out the idea, looking a bit sheepish.

“Okay, yeah, that was a terrible suggestion.”

“Perhaps we could pull off a muddled effect?” Hanzo suggested after a moment of silence. “You know, like patches of greens and browns where it sometimes blends together? Does that make sense?”

Genji hummed, tapping the pen against his chin.

“You mean kind of like camouflage? That _would_ look pretty cool if done right, and it _would_ look nice with everything else.”

Genji jotted down the idea, the two brothers deciding that yes, that sounded like a good idea.

“Okay, so we have a general plan of attack,” Genji said, underlining and circling the idea. “Now how are we going to execute it? Where do we start?”

The two of them stared at one another, not saying a word.

“I have _no_ idea,” Hanzo whispered, staring at the page with a sort of distressed look in his eyes. “I didn’t think I’d get this far.”

“Are we going to call Satya?”

“We’re calling Satya.”

“That _does_ sound like an intriguing idea,” Satya said over the phone, reading over some plans she had laid out on her desk. “And you’re wondering how you should execute it?”

“Yes,” Said Hanzo, his voice sounding a little tinny over the line. “We’re not sure how to actually start.”

Satya hummed, tapping her chin with the pencil in her hand.

“Well, that is the question, isn’t it?” Satya said, sliding a sheet of paper away from herself. “Well, I would recommend that you start with the darker colours first, then do the lighter colours. It’s easier to do light on dark than it is to do dark on light, do you understand?”

“Alright, thank you Satya,” Hanzo said, sounding very relieved. “We appreciate your advice.”

“It is no trouble,” Satya said, smiling softly. “I’ll leave you two to it then. Good luck.”

Satya hung up the phone, setting it off to the side with a smile before getting back to her own work.

Hanzo tucked his phone into his pocket with a sigh.

“Alright,” He muttered. “So you heard what Satya said, correct?”

Genji nodded, cracking his knuckles.

“Yep, she said to start with the darker colours, _then_ do the lighter colours. You wanna start on that wall over there and work our way around?” Genji said, pointing to the wall just opposite of them.

“That sounds good to me,” Hanzo said, making sure his sleeves were properly rolled up and out of the way. “Let me guess, you want to do the green?”

Genji grinned, nodding as he rolled up his own sleeves above his elbows.

“How’d you know?”

“Call it a brother’s intuition.”

They poured the paint out onto the paint trays, setting the trays on top of the collapsible ladder Genji had found in the back room (that was still in excellent condition). They armed themselves with sponge brushes as well as regular roller brushes and went over their plan of attack one last time to make sure they were both on the right track.

“Alright, so we start by putting down a layer of brown,” Genji said. “Then, while the paint is still a little damp, we start applying some of the green using the sponge brushes, adding a bit more brown when needed.”

Hanzo nodded, picking up the roller brush.

“That’s the plan anyway. Only time will tell as to if it actually looks good or not.”

“It’ll look good, we got this,” Genji said, his hands on his hips. “No negativity here, only positivity!”

So far, the entire project was going fairly well. After getting a nice, even layer of brown on, Genji began working on the green. At first, the green was very patchy and not very clear against the brown, but as they went along, applying a touch more paint where they saw fit, everything became more clear, while still holding the desired muddled looking effect.

While they waited for their first wall to properly dry, they decided to step outside to get away from the paint fumes and to do a bit of work on the drawers and cabinets that sat outside the shop, happily waiting for their turn.

After a quick power wash, stripping away any lingering dirt or dust left behind, the two of them began carefully sanding the surfaces down, leaving the wood nice and smooth. They carefully scrubbed the glass of one of the cabinets, the dingy glass slowly becoming clear and bright once again. The hinges were cleaned and oiled, the rust stripped away with just a little vinegar and sand.

“Man, the Victorians really knew how to make a good cleaner out of a few simple items,” Genji muttered, scrubbing one of the disassembled hinges sat in his lap. “Why are we using a Victorian recipe anyway?”

“Well,” Hanzo said, looking through the class of the cabinet door. “Vinegar and sand are one of the _nicer_ natural cleaners that history has come up with. There were several historical recipes that called for the use of urine.”

Genji let out a gag, shuddering at the thought.

“What was with ancient peoples and their obsession with urine? Why would you want to use urine to clean?”

“Urine is actually a good acidic cleaner,” Hanzo muttered, setting one cabinet door aside, finally satisfied with how the glass looked. “It’s much like vinegar in that regard. It was also commonly used in medieval times in Europe to help make wool clothe brighter and tighter knit.”

Genji let out another gag, again shuddering at the mere idea.

“Hanzo, for the love of the gods, please stop talking,” He muttered, scrubbing furiously at the hinges, stripping away the old rust. “Why do you even know these things?”

“I’ve learned weirder.”

Once they were finished cleaning one cabinet, getting it back to looking near brand new (minus a new coat of varnish), they got to their feet and went back inside, ready to tackle another wall.

Of course, even though they were now confident in what they were doing, they could both agree that this was _not_ a fun task. Neither of them really enjoyed painting. Really, they _loathed_ it. But with the two of them working together, it was a bit more fun.

Sure, there was probably more paint that ended up on one another than what ended up on the walls, but that was all part of the fun! Who didn’t love a good paint war?

Every once in a while, usually when Genji was dipping his brush, not paying very much attention to his surroundings, Hanzo would sneakily run over and paint a strip on his back. Genji would let out a shout of shock and later try and get Hanzo while he was getting more paint for his own brush. Admittedly, it was a very vicious cycle (but damn if it wasn’t fun).

But even with all the fooling around the childish antics, the walls were eventually painted, now slowly drying in the fading sun. Hanzo and Genji were just putting their painting supplies away for the evening when there was a knock on the shop door.

Zenyatta walked into the shop to find the two of them absolutely _covered_ in paint, chatting with one another as they thoroughly cleaned out the brushes, as though nothing had happened and being covered head to toe in paint was completely normal.

“I swear, one would think that you were both children,” Zenyatta admonished playfully, shaking his head with a grin. “Now, how much paint _actually_ ended up on the walls, rather than on the two of you?” 

“Hey, we painted the walls,” Genji defended, pouting slightly as he swept his arm out, showcasing their work. “We got the first coat up and we’re just cleaning up for the day.”

Zenyatta looked around the room before nodding with a sigh. He shook his head in exasperation, a smile on his face.

“I _have_ noticed that, yes. I was just coming in to see if the two of you were ready for supper. I assume you’d be rather hungry by now.”

Hanzo looked around the room for a moment. Well, they were almost done setting everything away. Really, all that was left for them to do was to clean themselves up.

“I think so,” Hanzo said, getting to his feet. “Let us just finish putting this all away and get cleaned up before we join you.”

Genji nodded, stretching with a loud yawn.

“That sounds fair.”

Zenyatta nodded in agreement and kissed Genji on the one clear spot on his forehead before leaving them to finish cleaning up.

The two brothers stumbled into the house, making their way to the bathroom to try and scrub some of the paint on their faces and hands _off_. After several minutes of furious scrubbing and a _lot_ of soap, they tossed their clothes into the wash to soak before actually cleaning them.

They quickly dressed in sweats and went into the kitchen, sitting down at the table and accepting the food Zenyatta handed them.

“So I think I’ve settled on a design, I just wanted your impute,” Zenyatta said, sliding a sheet of paper over to Hanzo.

The drawing looked quite elegant, depicting his familiars sitting in a mortar, one of them holding onto the pestle, both dawning traditional witches hats. The way Zenyatta did the shading gave the drawing an almost… _unearthly_ glow around the dragons, mimicking the actual dragons quite well.

The lettering of the shop name was clean and precise, elegant, yet still understandable. All in all, the design looked wonderful, and Hanzo couldn’t wish for a better one.

“It looks amazing, Zenyatta,” Hanzo said, smiling softly. “It’s perfect, thank you.”

“Now we just need to actually _make_ the sign,” Genji said, his mouth full. “I can help with construction. It won’t be easy, but we can do it.”

Hanzo let out a sigh of relief, nodding.

“That’s a good idea, I think. While you two work on the sign, I can continue working on the shop’s interior and fixing up the cabinets and drawers.”

Hanzo let out a sigh and went back to his food, carefully sliding the drawing back over to Zenyatta for safe keeping.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> First off, I'd like to say thank you for all the support you've given my story so far. I really appreciate it :).  
> Secondly, I sincerely hope you've enjoyed this chapter and every new chapter afterwards.


	3. Hanzo makes a friend

Hanzo spent the next day carefully applying a second coat onto the walls, making absolutely sure that he followed the pattern that he and Genji had created the day before. In between walls, he would take a break to work on the cabinets and drawers outside, sanding them down, oiling hinges and tracks, applying new coats of varnish and cleaning the glass of the doors.

Normally, Hanzo wouldn’t mind being so busy. It gave his mind something to focus on after all, but this was something else entirely. By lunch he was _exhausted_. He couldn’t help but yawn loudly every few minutes, constantly trying to rub the sleepiness from his eyes.

Eventually it just got to the point where he decided that the best course of action was to just stop and take a quick nap before he went and hurt himself. The last thing he needed was to go and cock up the paint job because he got sleepy and stopped paying attention.

So, after cleaning up the supplies, he stumbled into the house to his bedroom. He collapsed on the bed with a sigh before allowing his eyes to finally droop close. He was out in mere minutes.

Okay, so _maybe_ his little nap turned into a coma. In his defence, he’d been hard at work all morning and the exhaustion had just piled up over the course of a few weeks (cut him some slack).

When Hanzo awoke, it was late at night, the moon already high in the sky. Genji and Zenyatta were gone, likely fast asleep in their own hotel room, leaving Hanzo alone in the house, with nothing but his thoughts to accompany him.

At first, Hanzo was tempted to just fall asleep and get some more rest. After all, he could still feel the exhaustion deep in his bones. But, his stomach was demanding food _loudly_ , threatening mutiny if he didn’t get up and eat something soon for gods sake. And so, begrudgingly, Hanzo got to his feet to make himself something to eat.

He walked into the kitchen, lighting his oil lamp to get some light in the room (it was far softer for such a late hour). He began getting a quick meal ready, chopping up some vegetables to make a quick stir-fry when he heard something just outside.

At first, he thought nothing of it. But then he was reminded of when Satya warned him about the local Weres.

Contrary to popular belief, Weres (most commonly known as werewolves) didn’t change every full moon. Their transformation happened _every_ night. As long as they consumed wolfsbane every day, they were quite docile and acted more like an everyday creature, rather than a rabid, savage beast so often depicted in media.

But there were still some Weres who felt that taking wolfsbane everyday was hindering their god given right to run around and wreck shit every night. They were like the mortals Anti-Vaxxers. Fucking annoying and arrogant to the thousands of papers stating that it was actually _better_ to eat wolfsbane.

And so, Hanzo couldn’t help but wonder if this was a Were who didn’t take their wolfsbane. Switching off the stove, Hanzo crept over to the window over the sink, carrying his oil lamp in his hand. He peered into the night, barely able to see by the light of the crescent moon. He couldn’t see anything, but that didn’t mean someone wasn’t there.

Hanzo waited a moment, listening carefully for any strange noises outside. For a few tense moments, there was nothing other than the chirping of the crickets and the occasion croaking frog. Hanzo was about to dismiss it when he heard the sound again, this time more clearly. It sounded like a pitiful animal who was cold, hungry and miserable.

Immediately, Hanzo felt a tug at his heartstrings and went over to the door, carefully peeking through the peephole before opening it. Lamp in hand, he stepped outside barefoot, looking around for the source of the noise. He heard the sound again, just a few feet away, the noise ringing loud like a bell in the silence of the night. He made his way over to the bushes, setting the lamp down by his feet before carefully pushing the branches apart to peer inside.

Tucked away in the bush, hiding away was a tiny, black kitten, staring at him with wide, scared eyes. It let out a frightened mew, shaking, whether from cold or fright, Hanzo wasn’t sure. Hanzo smiled gently and tried to coax the kitten out, clicking his tongue.

“It’s alright, little one,” He said, trying to look as calm and friendly as possible. “I’m not going to hurt you, it’s alright. You’re alright.”

The kitten began inching forward, closer and closer to Hanzo’s outstretched hand. Hanzo didn’t move a muscle when it began sniffing his hand, trying to decide whether or not Hanzo’s intentions were pure. Eventually, the kitten decided that perhaps Hanzo was safe and carefully stepped into the palm of his hand.

Hanzo brought the kitten close to his chest, softly cooing and stroking the kitten’s fur, feeling a hint of pride for the little kitten’s bravery. He could feel it’s ribs as he pet them and that pride was muffled by the hot wash of anger that washed over him when he noticed that the kitten was missing a chunk of their tail.

“Let us get you inside, shall we?” He said, moving slowly as he picked up the oil lamp. “Let’s get you in where it’s warm and get you something to eat. You’re okay, little one. You’re okay.”

The kitten was sitting comfortably in an old toque Hanzo dug out of one of the boxes stowed away in the front closet, purring loudly. It let out an excited squeak when Hanzo set out a small dish of milk and another with shredded meat.

It began scarfing it down, occasionally meowing with food still in its mouth. While the kitten was busy eating, Hanzo checked the kitten over, making sure there were no other injuries. His fingers began to tingle as he checked over the tail, his dragons indicating that the tail was in _terrible_ shape.

Once he got a closer look in the light, he felt sick to his stomach. Someone seemed to have taken a knife and hacked off part of the kitten’s tail. Why, Hanzo wasn’t sure. He suspected superstition. Black cats were unlucky, servants of the devil, so on and so forth. The culprit probably also believed that Hanzo did the deed with Satan or something (you know, the horizontal mambo, hide the sausage, so on and so forth).

Carefully and gently, Hanzo began cleaning the kitten’s wound, clearing away any dirt and gravel that tried to make its way into the wound. He applied an animal friendly healing salve to stave off infection before carefully wrapping the kitten’s tail in bandages. By the time he finished, the kitten was finished its meal and was happily licking its chops.

“I’m sure you feel much better now, don’t you?” He murmured, gently stroking the kitten’s head. “Why anyone would do anything like this to such an innocent creature is beyond me.”

The kitten rubbed itself against Hanzo’s hand, clearly enjoying the positive attention.

“Now, we can’t have you running around here without a name, now can we?” Hanzo said, chuckling softly as the kitten batted at his hand, mewing happily as they played.

He checked down under and found that the kitten was a little girl and thought to himself, what would be a good name for such a sweet, little kitten?

“I’ll call you… Yuki,” He said, smiling softly when the kitten mewed, obviously pleased with her new name. “Welcome to my home, Yuki. I hope you like it.”

The early morning sun managed to find its way to Hanzo’s eyes, effectively blinding him momentarily when he first opened them. He slowly sat up, rubbing the sleep from his eyes as he looked around his room. He froze when his eyes fell on a small, black ball curled up on his pillow. Yuki.

A part of Hanzo was still furious. How could anyone hurt such an innocent creature? She was an absolute sweetheart, had been nothing but soft and kind since Hanzo pulled her out of that bush. But in the end, he could do nothing but put it out of his mind, smiling when Yuki woke up with a great yawn.

“Well good morning, little one,” He said, gentle scratching her ears. “I’m sure you’re hungry.”

Taking Yuki in his arms, Hanzo made his way to the kitchen, carefully setting her down on the table while he got breakfast ready.

He had just set a small plate in front of Yuki when his front door opened, revealing Genji and Zenyatta, rolling up their sleeves to continue working. They froze when they noticed the little kitten sitting on the table, looking around with wide, yellow eyes.

“So uh… where’d the kitten come from, Hanzo?” Genji asked, staring at Yuki in surprise. Jesus, leave Hanzo in a comatose state for a few hours and he ends up with a fucking kitten.

“I found her last night. I heard something outside and went to check it out and I found this little kitten hiding in the bushes. She was just skin and bones and as you can see, a part of her tail is missing. I just couldn’t let her freeze out there, she’s done nothing wrong,” Hanzo said, reaching out to gently pet Yuki while she ate. “I’ve named her Yuki.”

Genji snorted, grinning widely.

“You… you named her ‘Courage’? Really? Bro,” Genji snorted.

“Well, she was very brave last night,” Hanzo defended, feeling himself blushing slightly. “She was very brave coming up to me and I thought it would be a very fitting name for her.”

Genji chuckled and patted his brother on the shoulder, reaching out to allow Yuki to sniff his hand before gently scratching her ears.

“It is. Now, what’s the plan for the day?”

The cabinets and drawers were finally cleaned up and ready to go back into the shop. The paint was dry and all Hanzo was waiting for were the shelves. Shelves that were on their way according to Zarya.

Earlier that morning, Zarya had sent word to Hanzo that she was just about finished building the shelves and would be bringing them over later that day after she put the finishing touches on them. She’d told him that she would also help install them. So now, Hanzo simply had to wait.

While he waited, he worked away in the kitchen, slowly building up a stock of personal provisions and supplies for the coming winter months. Zenyatta and Genji were just outside, putting the base of the sign together, getting it ready to paint. Yuki sat on the kitchen table, playing with a small ball of twine while the dragons watched on, occasionally batting the ball of twine back over to her when it rolled away from her.

Hanzo was just putting the finishing touches on some homemade lip salve (his lips always got so cracked and dry during the winter), when he’d heard a knock at his door. Wiping his hands on a dish towel, he hurried over to the door, opening it to reveal Zarya.

“Ah, Hanzo,” She said, her hands on her hips. “Are you ready to set the shelving up?”

Setting the dish towel aside, Hanzo rolled up his sleeves and made sure his hair was properly tied back.

“Of course, just tell me what you need me to do.”

Let it be well known that Zarya could cut one hell of an intimidating figure when carrying a mass of pre-prepared shelving over her shoulder into the shop. Hanzo could carry a substantial amount, but it was _nothing_ compared to Zarya. After all, it wasn’t easy to carry a dozen shelves over _one_ shoulder.

They worked on setting up the shelving together, making quick notes on where each shelf would go and on how far apart they should be. They were going up far quicker than Hanzo had originally anticipated (not that he was complaining). And while they installed the shelves, the two of them chatted to fill the silence and pass the time. He’d learned in their conversations, was that Zarya’s wife was an accomplished climatologist and was studying different ways to help improve the health of the environment.

Just from the way she was talking about his wife, Hanzo could tell that Zarya was positively _infatuated_ with this woman. The way her eyes lit up whenever she mentioned her wife and the soft smile on her face warmed Hanzo’s heart and he couldn’t help but feel happy for them. Good. Everyone should have someone they love and adore, someone they can cherish for all times.

“So, you’re planning on opening this old place as a potions shop?” Zarya asked, her voice ripping Hanzo out of his thoughts, startling him.

“I-yes, I am. Of course, there are still a few things I’ll need to do before I can actually open it, but that _is_ my plan.”

Zarya hummed thoughtfully, drilling a shelf into place.

“Good. This old place has been sitting here, empty, for a good many years. It’s nice to see some new life being brought to this place again. I must admit, it was rather depressing having to walk past it every time I needed to cut down a tree for material.”

Hanzo found himself chuckling, nodding in agreement. He could not deny that it _was_ a rather sorry sight when he arrived.

“I imagine it must’ve been. I’m just relieved that it wasn’t in a worse condition. Thank you again for repairing the attic floor by the way. I greatly appreciate your help.”

Zarya chuckled and nodded, giving Hanzo a pat on the back.

“It’s no trouble. I can tell you from personal experience that dealing with a caved in roof is not fun. I can still remember when my wife and I had first moved into our home here, our roof had caved in in the kitchen during a terrible storm. A tree just _destroyed_ the roof and surrounding walls.” She shuddered at the memory. “A nightmare to repair, and the house wasn’t even that old! It was thirty years at _most_ , not to mention we had to deal with potential thieves the entire time we were fixing the place!”

“I know of several symbols and incantations that can ward off such incidents,” Hanzo said, almost absent-mindedly, as he held a shelf in place while Zarya screwed it in place. “There are symbols and incantations that protect your home from intruders and make such accidents far less likely to happen.”

“I don’t suppose I could commission you to do something like that for us?” Zarya asked, glancing over to Hanzo with a smirk. “A commission for a commission?”

Hanzo paused for a moment, before smiling at the thought.

“I must admit that I’m rather intrigued by your proposal. You help me repair my shop and home, and I help you protect your home from excessive repairs. That _does_ seem fair,” Hanzo was silent for a moment, grabbing another shelf to install. “Is there anything specific you were thinking of?”

Zarya paused for a moment, focusing on making sure the shelf was properly straight before Hanzo began fastening it to the wall.

“Well… what would you recommend us? I’m not too familiar with his area, and this _is_ your area of expertise.”

Hanzo thought for a moment, chewing his lip in thought. What _would be_ good for their home? What would do the best job? What type of materials would be needed?

“Well, it could be symbol carved into the woodwork of the house, or into the masonry,” He said, handing Zarya another screw. “Or it could be a sort of charm or talisman that you can hang in your home. It all depends really.”

“May I ask what it would depend on?” Zarya asked, huffing as she screwed the shelf in place. “Are there different properties or something?”

Hanzo shrugged, picking up another shelf from the dwindling pile on the floor.

“Not really. It’s more convenience than anything. If you’re planning on moving anytime soon, I _would_ recommend a charm or talisman, something physical that you can take with you. However, if you plan on living in this house for a long time, then it might be better to carve it into the woodwork or masonry.”

Zarya hummed, nodding slowly as she handed Hanzo some screws.

“Well… we quite like the place, so I don’t think we’ll be moving anytime soon really,” She said, chewing her lip. “Is there any specific place it should be carved?”

Hanzo paused for a moment, thinking to himself. _Were_ there any symbols that had to go in a _specific_ place? Probably, but he couldn’t remember them off the top of his head.

“Nowhere specifically,” He said, speaking slowly. “I would suggest having the symbol be in the heart of the home. For many, that would be the kitchen. That would make the most sense for the two of you as well, since that’s where the roof caved in, correct?”

Zarya nodded.

“That makes sense actually. What kind of symbol would it be?”

“Well that all depends on personal preference really,” He said, handing Zarya the last shelf (wait, they were at the last shelf _already?_ ). “You could have a pentagram, a symbol commonly used by witches. Or you could have the eye of Horus, still quite popular. Uh…” Hanzo paused for a moment, chewing his lip. “You could also have the triquetra, that’s the Celtic shield. It was commonly used by the pagans. It can be as complex or as simple as you’d like really.”

Zarya hummed, taking a few minutes to make sure the shelf wasn’t going to collapse on them before answering.

“I feel a bit partial to a pentagram myself, but I’ll talk to Mei, see what she thinks.” She turned to look at Hanzo. “I appreciate this, Hanzo. It’ll be nice not having to worry about something going wrong at home again.”

Hanzo smiled and nodded, his mind racing with ideas.

“I’m… I’m happy to help.”

The room was mostly dark, save for the soft glow emitting from the oil lamp. The wind howled outside the walls, shaking the leaves and branches that cast off putting shadow after off putting shadow.

But Hanzo paid no mind. He sat at the kitchen table, sketching out potential designs for Zarya and Mei. Yuki was not far from him, pushing a ball of twine around on the table again, having the time of her goddamn life. Occasionally, Hanzo would pause what he was doing to reach over and pet Yuki’s ears absentmindedly, but he mainly focused on his work.

He wasn’t _just_ working on his commission for Zarya. After all, he had his own home to protect. On a separate sheet of paper, Hanzo did a rough sketch of what _he_ wanted for his home. Of course, he was so drawn into his work, he was quite startled when Yuki waddled over to him and mewed.

Hanzo jumped in surprise, staring at Yuki for a good minute before calming down a little with a sigh.

“You are very good at sneaking little one,” He whispered, gently scratching her ears with a smile. “You truly startled me.”

With a yawn, Hanzo looked over to his phone, wanting to check the time. It was… oh. It was one in the morning.

“I should… probably go to bed,” Hanzo muttered, moving to set the papers aside for now. “I didn’t realise just how late it was.”

After tidying up the little mess he made on the kitchen table, he scooped up Yuki in his hand and made his way to his bedroom, still a bit startled over how late it actually was.

While Yuki was fast asleep just next to Hanzo, he laid in bed, staring at the ceiling. His eyes were burning, begging him to close them and sleep, but his racing mind forbade it. Instead, Hanzo continued to stare up at the ceiling, listening to the wind outside.

A part of him didn’t _want_ to make a new ward for his home. He should have his old one, one he made with his mother so long ago. But _that_ was long gone, never to be seen again. He smiled wistfully as he remembered that cold, snowy day.

…

He sat on his mother’s lap, watching as she carefully painted the word on the thin piece of wood. Hanzo looked down to his own piece and tried to carefully print the word, his tongue sticking out in determination.

“That looks very good, little one,” His mother said, leaning over to kiss his forehead. “Now, what colour ribbon do you think we should tie around these to hang them?”

Hanzo pursed his lips, thinking very hard.

“Blue!” Hanzo cried after a moment, looking at his mother excitedly.

“Well, light blue would be very good. It symbolises tranquillity, peace, protection. You’ve made an excellent choice, little one.”

Hanzo beamed with pride, watching as his mother cut two long pieces of light blue ribbon. He watched as his mother tied her ribbon, before moving to help Hanzo with his. After all, with such little fingers, it was difficult to make a proper knot.

Once it was done, his mother held out the two wards with a look of pride.

“Yours looks so good, Hanzo!” She said, kissing his forehead again. “You did very well. Now, no matter where you go, as long as you hang this ward, you will be safe.”

Hanzo took the ward in his hands, giggling as his mother lightly squished his cheeks.

“Now, what sort of spell shall we do next?”

…

Hanzo was ripped out from his memories by Yuki and his dragons, who were all pawing at him worriedly. Hanzo sat up and rubbed his eyes, a little startled to find that they were damp with tears. He didn’t even know he was crying.

“I… I’m fine. There’s no need to worry, I’m alright,” He said, sighing heavily as he reached down to stroke Yuki’s fur. “I just… got lost in my mind, that’s all.”

The dragons snorted before forcing him to lie down again. They curled up on his chest, watching him intently. Yuki curled up in the crook of his neck, purring loudly in his ear. Hanzo chuckled softly and closed his eyes. He needed to get some sleep.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> So uh... it's been a little while. I feel kinda bad honestly since I've had this written for several months, but I just haven't had the energy to post this.  
> Now granted, it could be much longer, I know. But all the same, I'm sorry for the wait. And the shortness of the chapter.  
> I'll try and update a bit more frequently, at least once a month, but I make no promises.  
> I do hope that you liked this chapter and again, I'm sorry that I haven't updated in eight odd months.


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